Podcast
This episode we welcome California Assemblymember Ash Kalra to talk about the biggest bill of 2022 so far: AB 1400, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act. The bill (and a companion Constitutional amendment, ACA 11) would create a single-payer healthcare system administrated by the state. Kalra spoke with Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster about his hopes for the bill, how it differs from its predecessor SB 562, and why he believes that California needs a single-payer system.
News
California could soon be seeing an unprecedented overhaul of its state health care system — but only if the politics and money come together. Two proposals are making the rounds at the Capitol which, if approved, would greatly expand eligibility for publicly funded health insurance.
News
Last year during the winter’s peak, hospitals in the state had an estimated 54,000 patients, with roughly 22,000 of them testing Covid positive. Today, similar numbers reflect the hospitals’ overcrowding. But now, there is an overall 20 percent reduction in health care workers, and the combination of the two has seriously stressed hospitals.
News
Americans disagree about California. And at least part of the argument hinges on politics. Republicans don’t think much of California; Democrats like the place. According to a recent YouGov study, Republicans list California as the worst state. Only Washington D. C., which is not a state, ranks below California in Republicans’ estimation.
News
Rather than fixing its system during its five-year felony probation, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. instead spent the time, which ends today, “on a crime spree” of negligence, causing 31 wildfires, 113 deaths, thousands of lost structures and a half-million charred acres, according to the federal judge who oversaw the probation.
News
California’s growth of nonfarm payroll jobs continued on a steady pace as 2021 ended, according to recent figures from the state Employment Development Department that do not fully reflect the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. “The 50,000 gain in the labor force was encouraging in December and certainly included more women,” economist Lynn Reaser told Capitol Weekly.
Podcast
We’re joined today by Matt Rexroad, of Redistricting Insights. We invited him to talk about California’s new electoral maps and share his picks for the 10 districts to watch in 2022. Rexroad knows something about fair lines, having been involved in California’s first redistricting effort following the creation of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2008.
News
On the front line of health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered nurse members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United are pushing for more employer accountability tied to a crisis of staffing and unsafe workplaces. The union, which represents about 100,000 registered nurses in California, says the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has not adopted such workplace protections.
Podcast
California made national headlines this week with an aggressive push toward achieving Universal Healthcare in the state. John Howard and Tim Foster of Capitol Weekly sit down with Anthony Wright of Health Access California to hear his insights on these major developments in California healthcare policy, and learn what to expect next.
News
Amid a surge in COVID infections, campuses across the University of California have extended remote learning until the end of the month, with regular classes expected to resume Jan. 31. But a number of UC Davis students with pre-existing health conditions are urging officials through a petition to adopt a permanent hybrid approach — a proposal that so far is getting traction with over 7,600 signatures as of Jan. 17.
